Theon was panicking.
He had never been this frightened in his life.
As he listened to the groans drawing closer from below, Theon, at a complete loss, searched every corner of the Broken Tower's top floor for somewhere to hide.
But the Broken Tower had gone unused for years. Apart from the dust on the floor, it was empty.
There wasn't so much as a single place to take cover.
At last, Theon reached the window and looked at the stones jutting out from the wall outside.
"I can only stand out there for now and hide."
"Damn it, the queen is having an affair with Ser Jaime!"
"If they find me, I'm as good as dead!"
Theon gritted his teeth and climbed onto the dilapidated windowsill. Then he carefully shifted his feet, pressed himself against the wall, and stood on the stones jutting out from the Broken Tower's outer wall.
He let out a small breath and thought, If I stay here, they shouldn't see me unless someone leans out to look.
Gods, please make them leave soon!
Theon couldn't help glancing toward the window, his heart caught between fear and excitement.
He never would have dreamed that simply following the letter's instructions and coming to the Broken Tower would lead him to stumble upon a Kingsguard and the queen having an affair.
Worse, their relationship was so unusual.
Theon didn't need to think hard to know that if they found him, he wouldn't escape with his life.
Gods, why does this have to happen now?
Couldn't you have waited until after my meeting to send them here?
Still, the queen is so bold...
If this got out, the king would wipe out House Lannister.
Wait, could the king's three children also be...
Theon pressed himself against the wall, his mind racing as he listened to the two people inside the room.
His heart pounded.
A cold gust swept past, and Theon shivered.
Even so, Theon, on the verge of tears, didn't dare move a muscle. He could only gaze toward Raven's Nest in the distance and pray that they would finish soon.
He was afraid that even the slightest noise might alert the two people in the room.
A little while later,
Jaime and Cersei's voices drifted out of the room.
Theon let out a small breath, then listened curiously to what they were saying.
"I don't like that old wolf. You should be Hand of the King."
Cersei, feeling utterly content, lounged against Jaime's chest, her slender fingers caressing his face.
Jaime sat on the floor with Cersei in his arms. "Spare me. Whoever wants that miserable job can have it."
"Can't you see the danger behind all this?" Cersei furrowed her brow and looked at her brother. "Robert trusts the Starks most. If Stark suspects anything, we'll be in danger!"
"Then we kill the wolf, just like we killed the falcon," Jaime replied dismissively.
Jaime's words made Theon's heart seize up.
His eyes widened, his mouth fell open, and his fingers dug desperately into the stone above him.
The former Hand of the King, Jon Arryn, was murdered by the queen and the others!
An unbelievable thought surfaced in Theon's mind.
Theon shuddered in fright, and his foot nearly slipped off the stone. Luckily, he caught his footing just in time.
If I tell Lord Ned and the king about all this, the Westerlands will have to be reshuffled.
And there'll be something in it for the Iron Islands...
Father will surely praise me when he finds out!
Stay hidden. All I have to do is stay hidden and not get caught!
Just as Theon was doing his best to conceal himself, Bran, who had climbed over from the Godswood, happened to spot him hiding on the Broken Tower's outer wall.
"Huh? Why is Theon here? Isn't he out hunting with Father?"
Could he like climbing walls too?
Bran clung to the stones, his eyes bright with excitement.
It was so hard to find someone in Winterfell who shared his love of climbing walls.
This was the first time he had seen anyone besides himself climb somewhere so high.
I'll sneak over and surprise Theon!
Bran thought happily, then kept climbing with all his might. Before long, he reached the top of the First Keep.
He took a deep breath, looked at the gargoyle statues atop the First Keep's walls, then leaped up and deftly grabbed one with both arms.
His whole body dangled in midair.
Bran's direwolf crouched below, its smoky yellow eyes fixed on its master, afraid that he might fall.
Just then,
A black raven flapped over and landed atop a nearby gargoyle statue, silently watching Bran.
As if witnessing the fate that awaited him.
Bran didn't notice the raven. He was still swinging his arms with all his strength, like a boy on a swing, moving from one gargoyle statue to another.
After a few breaths, Bran pushed off with all his strength and leaped onto the Broken Tower's outer wall, grabbing firmly onto the stones jutting out from it.
"Thump!"
The slight, sudden vibration of the outer wall instantly brought Theon back to his senses.
He instinctively looked toward the sound, and a face he knew all too well came into view.
"Bran..."
Theon let out a despairing groan and prayed, Don't call out. Whatever you do, don't make a sound!
He held onto the stone with one hand to steady himself and put the other to his lips, frantically gesturing for Bran to be quiet.
But Bran was focused on climbing and didn't notice.
Gripping the stones nimbly, he climbed up beside and below Theon in a few quick moves, then looked up curiously and asked, "Theon, what are you doing here?"
The moment Bran spoke, Theon knew it was all over.
He had no time to think. "Bran, get out of here!"
With that, Theon twisted around and quickly climbed down, gripping the stones.
With his life on the line, he didn't care whether he knew how to climb down.
But Jaime reacted even faster!
The moment he heard Bran's voice, he shoved Cersei aside, sprang to his feet, and rushed to the window.
At a glance, he saw Theon and Bran hanging from the Broken Tower's outer wall.
Bran, caught off guard, was startled by Jaime's sudden appearance. His fingers slipped off the stone.
He let out a scream and plummeted downward.
Seeing this, Theon instinctively reached out and grabbed Bran.
But Bran's fall threw Theon off balance too, and the two of them nearly fell to the ground together.
At the critical moment, Jaime lunged forward, seized Theon by the arm, and hauled them both back up.
By then, Cersei had finally reacted.
She screamed, hurriedly pulling on her clothes, and cried out in terror, "They saw us! They must have seen us!"
"Jaime, kill them! Kill them now!"
Jaime remained composed. He blocked the shaken Theon and Bran at the window, then turned to Cersei and made a calming gesture, pressing a hand downward.
"Cersei, calm down. Calm down!"
At his words, Cersei managed to compose herself a little.
Once Cersei fell silent, Jaime turned around and coolly studied Theon and Bran, who wore very different expressions.
"Well, I never. I didn't expect this dump to attract so many visitors."
"Is there nowhere else to go in Winterfell?"
Jaime spoke mockingly, but his eyes brimmed with murderous intent.
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